It was like driving for seven hours to get to the best example of what an auto show can be, last week, when we drove a new 2024 Toyota Corolla SE Hybrid AWD from Duluth to Elkhart Lake, Wis. 
We drove straight through on a navigation system that seemed to want us to make 100 turns on all sorts of little state and county highways to make the best time, and we arrived to check in at the fantastic Osthoff Resort in time to relax before an all-you-can-eat fish fry.
There is considerable evidence that the popularity of the huge international auto shows is dwindling, with many manufacturers sending fewer of their newest vehicles to the shows, and with fewer presentations, there is an accompanying decrease in crowds and revenue. 
So the logical replacement for car fanatics is to find some sort of specialty show where there will be the newest of vehicles.
Fortunately for those of us in the auto writing business, there is a Midwest Auto Media Association Spring Rally, held annually at Elkhart Lake, where the best road-racing course is located just outside of town. 
The 4-mile course twists up and down hills with natural switchbacks and challenging curves and straightaways, designed to mimic the wonderful roads around the area’s lakes. Manufacturers are invited to bring their newest vehicles, for on track, on street and off-road challenges, and we who are members of MAMA get to drive them in albeit brief but informative test drives.

We will get into more thorough evaluation of the newest cars as we get more extensive test-drives, but for now we can extol the virtues of electric vehicles (EV), hybrids, high performance and luxury vehicles and powerful off-roaders. 
The drive down, however, gave us a great chance to test out the new Corolla.
The new Corolla is helping lead Toyota on a new course, where it will join the midsize Camry in becoming an all-hybrid lineup. 
The test car, in Ruby Flare Pearl, was a sleek 4-door compact powered by a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder with dual variable valve timing, and electronic CVY (continuously variable transmission) and electronic all-wheel drive. Combined with the power from the battery pack and electric motor, the little Corolla drives more like a sports sedan than a high-mileage gas saver.

The EPA estimates suggest 47 miles per gallon city and 41 mpg highway, for a 44 mpg combined average. We got almost exactly that, although closer to 43.8 mpg on steady highway driving through a series of monsoon-like thunderstorms for much of the distance. 
At $30,483 for a total as-tested sticker, the Corolla was well-equipped but missing some key features, such as power seat adjustments. 
It had all sorts of sporty features, like improved suspension with driving modes and blacked out grill and exterior trim, Strangely, with all those features, it did not have shift padles to allow you to have sporty control over the otherwise sporty driving.
Among our favorites to drive on the track for a hot lap, through the surrounding roadways, and on a short autocross course as well as a specially constructed off-road course, we can suggest that some EVs are easily competitive with some of the hottest gas-powered cars.
For example, the Kia EV6 GT is extremely powerful and good-handling with all-wheel drive, and filled with luxury stuff inside. 
Cadillac had its new Lyriq luxury sedan, and the new Rolls Royce was there, along with various BMW cars and SUVs.
We were very impressed with the new Volvo ES30, the smallest member of Volvo’s SUV array, and it is all-electric. 
It is not a Polestar, because that name now belongs to a company that has separated from Volvo and is making all-electric cars on its own. Very classy, and very expensive, while Volvo has reigned in the price on the ES30 if EVs truly take over. 
There remains no question that Volvo still makes the most comfortable and supportive bucket seats in the industry.
The new Mazda CX70 is enlarged, now on the same platform as the larger CX9, and with Mazda’s brilliant engineering on a 2.5-liter in-line 6.
The new Nissan Rogue is roomier and ready to take a larger share of the compact SUV market. It already is Nissan’s largest-volume seller, and the new Rogue has Nisan’s high-tech variable compression 4-cylinder that packs a punch.
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio returns with a bit more juice and a bit more expensive, up near $80,000, and with a 1.3-liter 4-cyinder and a high-output battery pack to combine power.
The same drivetrain, from Stellantis, powers the Dodge Hornet R/T, with 298 horsepower and 363 foot-pounds of torque, and offering 29 miles per gallon if you use the gas-engine only, or up to 77 mpg is you drive with the combined hybrid power — same as the Stelio.
There were a whole lot of impressive trucks, but one that deserves mention most is the new Ram 1500 Rebel, which still needs a small stepladder to enter, but has the new Hurricane engine — a 3.0-liter inline 6, turbocharged, for a loaded price sticker of $80,240.
We hit more rain coming back home, but it was a fully taxing, and fully enjoyable, two days at the best auto show in the industry.